Benson’s late wife, and Trish’s cousin, Louise, and that’s just off the top of my head.” As he named folks who might have keys as well, the relief in his voice was plain to hear. “I’m not sure how much good it will do, but I’ll get Hannah to make up a list.”
“Hannah herself would still have a key, wouldn’t she?” I asked.
“I would imagine,” the chief said.
I wasn’t a huge fan of gossip, but there was something the chief of police needed to know. “Well, I hate to talk out of school, especially with what just happened, but Cam and Hannah hated each other.”
That got the chief’s interest. “How do you know that?”
“I saw them arguing in front of Donut Hearts not a week ago,” I admitted. I’d been looking out the window when they’d bumped into each other, and though I hadn’t been able to hear what they’d been saying, it was clear that they weren’t exchanging recipes. There was raw anger there.
“I’ll look into it,” Chief Martin said as he pulled out a notebook and started taking notes. “Anything else?”
It was no time to hold back. “Well, I hate to bring it up, but you just said that your wife used to work for Hannah, right?”
“Ex,” the chief corrected. “But yes, she did.”
“Well, she wasn’t exactly a fan of Cam’s, either, was she?”
Chief Martin looked at me briefly, and it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t pleased. “Are you saying that Evelyn murdered him? She might not have liked him, but she had no reason to kill him. That’s insane.”
“I’m just saying, she needs to be a suspect, too.”
“As do I,” Momma said softly.
“Dorothy, I know you didn’t kill Cam Hamilton,” the chief of police said.
“You can’t know that though, can you?” Momma asked. “It’s no secret the man and I couldn’t stand each other, and he was killed in a locked building that I clearly have access to. How can I not be at the head of your list?”
The chief frowned at that but then said, “You were with me, though. I’m your alibi.”
“Chief, maybe you should wait for the coroner’s report before you say that,” George said from behind him. “We don’t have an exact time of death at the moment.”
The police chief started to turn on George when Momma said, “He’s right. I’m afraid you might have to ask for some outside help on this one, Phillip. You’re too close to it to investigate the crime. It might be best if you recuse yourself now.”
“This is my town,” he said. “I can put my feelings aside long enough to investigate a murder.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t see how you can,” Momma said softly. It was clear she was trying to be as gentle with him as she could manage.
The chief was scowling when I had a sudden idea. “I know. You could call Jake,” I said.
Chief Martin wasn’t all that excited by the prospect. “Do you think your boyfriend can be any more neutral than I can?”
“I know without much doubt that he’d lock me up in a heartbeat if he had evidence that I’d killed someone,” I said, sure that I was telling the truth. Jake had two modes that I’d seen since we’d started dating: the sweet boyfriend, and the cop working a case. There was clear demarcation between the two sides of him, as apparent as if he had separate faces he wore. I’d seen him in full cop mode before, and it was almost as though I couldn’t recognize him when he had his teeth into something. He would arrest Momma, no matter what the consequences to his personal life, no matter how much it might kill him to do it. Honestly, it was one of the things I admired most about him.
“I doubt that,” the chief said.
“Then you’d be wrong. What can it hurt?”
“I thought he was working a case in Hickory,” the chief asked.
“He might be able to get out of it to investigate a murder. Wouldn’t you rather have Jake here than some stranger looking over your shoulder?”
The chief nodded. “I’ll call
“Hannah herself would still have a key, wouldn’t she?” I asked.
“I would imagine,” the chief said.
I wasn’t a huge fan of gossip, but there was something the chief of police needed to know. “Well, I hate to talk out of school, especially with what just happened, but Cam and Hannah hated each other.”
That got the chief’s interest. “How do you know that?”
“I saw them arguing in front of Donut Hearts not a week ago,” I admitted. I’d been looking out the window when they’d bumped into each other, and though I hadn’t been able to hear what they’d been saying, it was clear that they weren’t exchanging recipes. There was raw anger there.
“I’ll look into it,” Chief Martin said as he pulled out a notebook and started taking notes. “Anything else?”
It was no time to hold back. “Well, I hate to bring it up, but you just said that your wife used to work for Hannah, right?”
“Ex,” the chief corrected. “But yes, she did.”
“Well, she wasn’t exactly a fan of Cam’s, either, was she?”
Chief Martin looked at me briefly, and it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t pleased. “Are you saying that Evelyn murdered him? She might not have liked him, but she had no reason to kill him. That’s insane.”
“I’m just saying, she needs to be a suspect, too.”
“As do I,” Momma said softly.
“Dorothy, I know you didn’t kill Cam Hamilton,” the chief of police said.
“You can’t know that though, can you?” Momma asked. “It’s no secret the man and I couldn’t stand each other, and he was killed in a locked building that I clearly have access to. How can I not be at the head of your list?”
The chief frowned at that but then said, “You were with me, though. I’m your alibi.”
“Chief, maybe you should wait for the coroner’s report before you say that,” George said from behind him. “We don’t have an exact time of death at the moment.”
The police chief started to turn on George when Momma said, “He’s right. I’m afraid you might have to ask for some outside help on this one, Phillip. You’re too close to it to investigate the crime. It might be best if you recuse yourself now.”
“This is my town,” he said. “I can put my feelings aside long enough to investigate a murder.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t see how you can,” Momma said softly. It was clear she was trying to be as gentle with him as she could manage.
The chief was scowling when I had a sudden idea. “I know. You could call Jake,” I said.
Chief Martin wasn’t all that excited by the prospect. “Do you think your boyfriend can be any more neutral than I can?”
“I know without much doubt that he’d lock me up in a heartbeat if he had evidence that I’d killed someone,” I said, sure that I was telling the truth. Jake had two modes that I’d seen since we’d started dating: the sweet boyfriend, and the cop working a case. There was clear demarcation between the two sides of him, as apparent as if he had separate faces he wore. I’d seen him in full cop mode before, and it was almost as though I couldn’t recognize him when he had his teeth into something. He would arrest Momma, no matter what the consequences to his personal life, no matter how much it might kill him to do it. Honestly, it was one of the things I admired most about him.
“I doubt that,” the chief said.
“Then you’d be wrong. What can it hurt?”
“I thought he was working a case in Hickory,” the chief asked.
“He might be able to get out of it to investigate a murder. Wouldn’t you rather have Jake here than some stranger looking over your shoulder?”
The chief nodded. “I’ll call
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